DLA Piper, Dorsey advise on £500m sale of Welsh vodka company

DLA Piper and Dorsey & Whitney have landed roles on Au Vodka’s reported £500 million sale to US spirits giant Sazerac, whose brands include Southern Comfort, Fireball and Svedka Vodka.

DLA Piper is advising Au Vodka shareholders, while US firm Dorsey is acting for Sazerac.

Sky News reported that the deal values the Welsh drinks business at around £500 million, with co-founders Charlie Morgan and Jackson Quinn in line for windfalls of more than £100 million each.

The backstory

Morgan and Quinn founded Au Vodka in 2015 in Swansea, launching the business with its distinctive gold bottles before expanding into flavoured vodkas and ready-to-drink products.

The company has since grown into one of the UK's fastest-growing drinks businesses, helped by celebrity and influencer marketing, with boxer Floyd Mayweather and British DJ Charlie Sloth among its brand ambassadors.

Its latest accounts show the business generated sales of around £83 million and a pre-tax profit of £6.7 million in the year to April 2025.

London private equity firm Metric Capital took a minority stake in Au Vodka in 2023.

Broader reach

Sazerac is one of the world's largest privately owned spirits companies, with a portfolio of more than 500 brands including Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Southern Comfort, Fireball, Svedka Vodka and single-serve Buzzballz.

The deal would bring Au Vodka into Sazerac's global portfolio and distribution network.

‍Advising

The DLA Piper team acting for Au Vodka shareholders is led by UK M&A partners Simon Wright and Noel Haywood.

Dorsey & Whitney is acting for buyer Sazerac, led by London partners Paul Thompson and Mark Churchman.